Clarification from the agency

This is position is open to current permanent employees of the Southern Arizona VA Medical Center employee and Department of Veteran Affairs Employees.

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Duties include but not limited to:

• Directs and executes and oversees law enforcement duties on Departmental property and off-site locations, ensuring compliance with federal laws, VA policies, and regulations.
• Collaborates directly with the Captain, who is the immediate supervisor.
• Manages law enforcement activities, investigations, and protective support across VA facilities and jurisdictions, including states and municipalities.
• Performs work away from Departmental properties when required.
• Leads security efforts to protect Veterans, staff, officials, and visitors, using force when necessary.
• Acts as Lieutenant and Officer-in-Charge, handling law enforcement and administrative tasks within VHA.
• Supervises and coordinates Public Safety operations in designated areas.
• Offers broad leadership over law enforcement staff, including sergeants, officers, and detectives responsible for crime suppression and investigations.
• Serves as watch commander or administrative lieutenant for assigned regions.
• Sets priorities, plans, and manages work efficiently, ensuring policy adherence.
• Oversees HR functions such as personnel management, training needs, work assignments, and performance evaluations in coordination with the Captain.
• Leads investigations, arrests, and detention of individuals involved in federal crimes.
• Handles VA-specific issues like prisoner transport, patient search, recovery, disaster response, and asset protection.
• Responds to various criminal activities, including homicides, sexual assaults, thefts, domestic violence, narcotics, juvenile crimes, and other violations.
• Coordinates responses to ongoing crimes, making immediate decisions to preserve life and property.
• Carries weapons, intervenes to de-escalate conflicts, and uses force appropriately.
• Informs individuals of their rights and ensures constitutional protections are upheld.

Disclosure Statement: The Veterans Health Administration is currently participating in an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) classification consistency review. As a result of this review, there is the potential that the grade level of this position may be lowered or downgraded. Please be aware that any such changes would be determined and implemented in accordance with applicable federal classification standards and regulations.

Work Schedule: Full-time; rotating shifts, weekends and holidays.
Compressed/Flexible: This position is not authorized a compressed/flexible schedule.
Telework: This position is not authorized for telework.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Police Officer (Lieutenant)/PD14741A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/15/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: supervising/leading and providing guidance/direction to law enforcement personnel at various levels on duties in response to potential threats of violence, detecting criminal activity, fire and other emergencies; enforcing federal, state, and local laws; coordinates or oversees off-station law enforcement activities, investigations or protection support; performs various administrative functions to include reviewing and overseeing daily and monthly police activity, crime and accident reports and plans, incoming correspondence, monitoring budget and/or budget requests, managing/overseeing personnel activity, etc.; may have served as Officer-In-Charge within a police department.
• Creditable specialized experience may have been gained in work on a police force; through service as a military police officer; in work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forests, or other natural resource or recreational environments; in performing criminal investigative duties; or in other work that provided the required knowledge and skills. Experience as a security guard or corrections officer is generally not qualifying. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Criminal Law
• Decision Making
• Leadership
• Managing Human Resources
• Security
• Teaching Others

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The work requires, on a regular and recurring basis, considerable and strenuous physical exertion such as running, frequent climbing of multiple flights of stairs, and carrying items weighing over 50 pounds. It requires stamina, physical agility, dexterity, and the strength to pursue, apprehend or detain persons who are often uncooperative, assaultive, and/or armed.

Work Environment: The work involves both moderate and high risks and possible endangerment of life or serious injury that requires the exercise of safety precautions and use of personal protective equipment. The work is performed in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate to severe discomforts and unpleasantness, such as high temperatures in confined spaces, high temperatures due to mandatory protective personal equipment, or adverse weather conditions during extended periods of traffic and patrol duties. The work involves moderate risk requiring exercise of safety precautions when working around hazardous materials such as toxic gases, explosives, infectious biological materials, and others that pose a moderate risk of exposure.

Additional Requirements:

• Applicants must be at least 21 years of age as of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
• Applicants must have the capacity to perform the essential functions of the position without risk to themselves or others.
• Applicants must possess and maintain a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely.
• LAUTENBERG AMENDMENT. Applicants who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence are ineligible for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police Officer positions.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.